Jesse Jones, an artist placed at the intersection between fashion and technology, is compelled by the construction of design systems and how the gap between the physical and the viral is slowly shrinking. Through creating moving images and coded virtual experiences, Jones aims to bring to life her own vision of a digitally-enhanced reality. DASH caught up with the multimedia collage artist to discuss her work.
You’ve coined the term ‘Phigital Design’ – can you talk to us about what captivates you about fashion and technology?
Just a buzzword on the street, it’s synergy. I think of technology as a part of an ecosystem where fashion lives and breathes; they’re intrinsically interlinked as they shape and are shaped by the changing world – it’s a fucking crazy world. Fashion is a construct of our desire to express, to escape, to make sense of it all and of ourselves. Maybe that’s what life is about; we’re explorers and gods in our own right. They inform and equip each other, and us, with mechanisms and platforms for this exploration – physical x digital. It’s profound to think, “what’s next?”, and to know we influence the future. You can imagine and create scenarios and other worlds through fashion narratives and video games in a short space of time, but through the years and the lifetimes, the universe really does transform into an alternate reality… science fiction brought to life. It’s exciting and hilarious and scary and tragic; it’s everything you could ever feel.
Why do you think collage art is so appealing to both the artists and the masses?
Surreal compositions encompass the absurdities of life. Collage as a mish mash of sometimes seemingly unrelated imagery appeals to our unquenchable desire to correlate information. For the artist and the audience who don’t think in linear, I think it feels like a more organic way to communicate and experience narratives.
How has social media catapulted your creative career?
It’s offered space for exploration, for meeting amazing people and displaying my work to an open audience.
Where do you see yourself in five years?
I’m picturing myself on a desk-and-chair inflatable, sipping on a Bombay bramble. I’m basking in the rays and coding on my waterproof laptop (XXX-processor) as I float around my pool, bouncing off the edges like Shark Cat and everyone is having fun.
Who are some of your favourite designers that inspire you visually?
The original Japanese icons, beyond the the clothes, as spectacle.
Nada Abdul Ghaffar
